Myth of Meskala
by FoeHammer Lives
Summary: The Satyr incursions have always been a problem for the citizens of the Empire, but these latest attacks are proving to be more than mere raids. Some greater purpose drives the hordes now.
1. Chapter 1

Sarilor hated ash. The stuff seemed to fall for ages after a fire, and its grime got caught in his fur. The Satyr commander sat underneath the leg of what remained of a human statue. Most of the statue no longer existed, crushed to bits by invading armies and the endless crush of time. He lifted the hoof that was not protected by the rock monolith and brushed it, the ash that fell was replaced immediately. He sighed and sat back to watch the final moments of this human settlement. cries and screams echoed through the streets of the grey, ash covered town. Other Satyrs chased down the remaining men women and children, skewering and slicing all the same.

"Satyr!…" Sarilor motioned to a passing soldier.

The soldier walked up to the statue, and peeked at his commander, hiding from the deluge of ash underneath it, "Chieftain?"

Sarilor pointed to a small space between a building and its outhouse, "There are two humans there. You've all been too busy looting to finish the job."

The satyr looked towards the enclosure, and back at Sarilor, "Chieftain, those are just children, the battle is won! No more men remain."

Sarilor sighed, and slowly moved out from underneath the statue. His ears twitching in the falling ash. "You're not a chosen of Dionysus are you?"

"No…"

Sarilor feigned relief, holding a hand up to his heart, "Thank the gods. Now go finish of those humans, small or large, man or woman I do not care. This is not meant to be a mere tactical victory."

The satyr hesitated a moment, but obeyed, drawing his sword, and walking over to the cowering human boys.

"Ah, satyr!" Called Sarilor, motioning again, "Cut them open. String them up. We want to really rile up the populace." he turned back to sit underneath the statue, his soldier stopping for a moment before running his blade through both screaming children with one thrust.

Sarilor's ears perked. It was all quiet. No sound except the barely audible patter of ash… He hated ash... Especially the ash of burned bodies.


	2. Chapter 2

Rust red and beige walls converged over the busy market streets, nearly making a two story tunnel of wood and paint. Bright green vines grew over the wooden dividers along the walls and up to the shale roofs that nearly blocked out the haze filled sky. The inner part of the town was choked in a beautiful cacophony of darks and lights. Brick arches crossed over the streets as a way to find even a little more space to expand. A young man led a horse through this swirling tunnel of people and noise on foot, avoiding deep pockets of mud in the road after the fresh rainfall. The horse stood tall above everyone in the streets, and had a beautiful, freshly brushed brown and black coat. The boy, by contrast, drew inquisitive looks from some passersby, "Did he steal that horse? No way that's his…"

He was just a stable boy, taking a new prize horse out for a walk and a run. His eyes washed over the horse as the people commented on his acquisition, and wished he did indeed own the horse, "You're the talk of the town, Axion. Making me look bad. Criminal even." The young man smiled as he continued through the crowds and under an arch.

"Hey, Cas!" A familiar voice called out to him from the other end of the archway. Another young man similarly dressed in brown tunic and pants, and a colorful cloak thrown over his head of red hair, "Got any time to spend away from your darling here to play a few scrap games of dice?"

"Not right now, Nik," Caspho stopped to address his friend and rest the horse, "I've got to take this one out for a run. And you guys would probably try to steal him as soon as I sat down." Nik gave up a forced laugh at the accusation, "What?! When have I ever shown you the slightest form of misguidance?"

Caspho smiled as he gave the horse a slow pet along the head, "Never. But you've _told _me A LOT of stories while bragging around the card table."

At this, Nik gave up and held his hands up by his sides, "I never confirmed that the stories were completely truthful."

"Yeah, sure." Cas began leading Axion back out of the busy heart of the town. "Ill catch up with you later Nik!"

"Sounds good, Cas! -And hey, be careful of that forest you love so much. Could be part of the Overgrowth this time, and infested with Satyrs!"

Cas smiled and shook his head, then gave his friend a quick wave.

As they got closer to the edges of the town, the buildings began to drop back from the sky, and the streets opened up. After passing another archway, the cluster of buildings dropped away and Cas stopped with a hint of a smile and unblinking eyes at the skyline beyond. Cliff walls reached up into the sky, and crystal clear waterfalls cascaded down the grey and brown rocks, collecting into rivers crisscrossed by wooden bridges to the less constricted parts of town. Cas pulled a handful of barley out of a satchel on his shoulder, and fed it to Axion, "Ready for some exercise, boy?" The horse snorted in agreement, and Cas threw himself up towards the seat of the horses back, only having to attempt a handful of times.

"You're a bit taller than you look," A winded Cas said, "And you look pretty tall."

Cas dropped the reigns forward, and gave a small kick with his right foot, and Axion began to walk, and then gallop forwards into the outskirts of the town. Here, small wooden structures connected by bridges and walkways dotted the sides of the rivers and streams. Fishermen stood and sat on the banks, their oversized hats protecting them from long exposure to the sun. Cas turned Ax away from the cliff walls, and towards the forest across the way. Axions hooves thudded against the wooden pathways as the two thundered through the quiet fishing district, drawing shouts and curses from some of the inhabitants. Eventually, the walkways fizzled out of existence, and only a dirt path led into the woods. Cas slowed the horse, and they both looked into its depths in the light of late day. This is as far as he'd gone before. And he'd been to this spot many times. Axion drew in and let out giants gusts of air, resting and recuperating from the sprint out of town. Cas dropped off his back, and walked to the edge of a stream to look back at the town of Fenhollow, a mass of beige and red with specks of green and blue.

"One of these days, I'm gonna live up there," Cas pointed to a sprinkle of houses and towers perched on the cliff edge, overlooking the town, "With the mayor and the captain of the guard. Making important decisions, instead of rotting in a stable…" Axion snickered at this, and Cas quickly shot up a hand, "No offense bud. I've been cleaning horses and picking up their dung for nearly my whole life. I think I've earned a change of good luck!"

Cas sat at the edge of the stream for a few minutes more, enjoying the landscape. His whole known world could be captured in a blink, and in the back of his mind, he knew that was pitiful. He liked this slice of the world. But he also knew there was something more for him out beyond the woods.

Eventually, he picked himself up, hopped back on Axion with a bit less trouble, and started the ride back to the heart of Fenhollow, singing an old army marching song he'd heard from the tavern,

"_Madam good day, and sir to you, mind the brew; _

_madam good day, and sir to you, mind the brewww. _

_Bring me pot, for stock and stew, never a pan, to short for'a fool; _

_Madam good day, and sir to you, mind the brew_"

Just as Caspho prepared to launch into the next verse, Axion twitched, and perked his head with a nicker. Instinctively, Caspho paused and stood up in the stirrups to take a look around his surroundings. Sure enough, coming across the opposite side of the clearing a patrol of hussars could be seen riding their horses in a hard gallop towards Fenhollow.

"Somethings up." Caspho felt a rush of adrenaline through his body as he quickly checked the seemingly quiet forest wall behind him. His hair stood on his neck as his imagination mixed with Niks humorous warning.

"Back to the stable, boy! SAH!" Caspho yelled the command, and gave a good nudge with his boot, and Axion shot forward like a daemon along the path. Caspho wondered what had happened out outside in the world, on the other side of those trees. He had a feeling he would know soon.


End file.
